'Hennessy VSOP Privilege Limited Edition' product launch

British artist, Peter Saville, looks to chromatography to express the unique personality of Hennessy V.S.O.P

The true art of Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège lies in its inherent harmony. When it was first unveiled, in 1817, for the future King of England, later George IV, V.S.O.P was considered the ideal expression of a perfectly balanced cognac. Nothing has changed in the nearly two centuries since that time. For seven generations, Hennessy cellar masters continuously honoured an unwavering quest for excellence and ensured that V.S.O.P Privilège always retained its unique identity.

In 2015, Hennessy celebrated the 250th anniversary of its exceptional legacy with an unprecedented, hybrid cultural event. Today, Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège celebrates its legacy of exceptional character through its collaboration with the acclaimed British art director, Peter Saville, renowned for his innate flair for colour and remarkable technique of re-contextualising data as a visual, cultural language. Throughout his career in music and design, the artist has become legendary for his artistic vision and willingness to push boundaries.

For the 2016 Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège limited edition series, his second collaboration with Hennessy, Saville looked to the science of chromatography, a natural extension of his work for the ground-breaking “Genome” bottle (2014). The applied science of chromatography, or “colour writing”, makes it possible to break out individual components of a complex whole across the colour spectrum. Having analysed the actual topography of Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège as data on a chromatographic scale, Saville used his signature technique of data visualisation to transpose abstract data findings into pictorial form. In pushing his process ever further, the artist came upon a uniquely rich, visual landscape.

“This dynamic composition of elements is the interpretation of the real, scientific data within the V.S.O.P blend. The 2015 Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Limited Edition shows what V.S.O.P would look like if we were able to stand inside the very structure of the cognac’s blend. What one immediately observes is that there is a very constructivist connotation to the V.S.O.P blend: its material properties and its large presence both come into play,” Saville explains.

Through Saville’s science-based artwork, the 2015 VSOP Privilège Limited Edition series reveals in architectural, emotionally resonant imagery – of colour, contrast, finish and texture — the harmony that V.S.O.P aficionados have appreciated for nearly 200 years. In reconstructing the V.S.O.P blend’s complex topography within a virtual, graphic 3D environment, Saville discovered colours informed by the distillation process: the warmth of red and orange hues, the verdigris naturally associated with copper, and a Prussian “chemical bright” blue, as Saville calls it, a colour that blends a feeling of richness with the edge of science.

As always, the V.S.O.P blend inside the 2015 V.S.O.P Privilège Limited Edition Bottle remains the unique cognac that has been enjoyed neat, on the rocks or in refined mixed drinks for nearly 200 years. Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège blends eaux-de-vie from the four best growing areas of the Cognac region to create a well-balanced blend of richness and smoothness. The new Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Limited Edition bottle will be available for sale on-shelf at select retailers later this month. Each Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Limited Edition bottle will be marked with a number attesting to its authenticity.

IN LIVING COLOUR: V.S.O.P IN THREE VARIATIONS

In reconstructing the V.S.O.P blend’s complex topography within a virtual, graphic 3D environment, Saville discovered colours informed by the distillation process: the warmth of red and orange hues, the verdigris naturally associated with copper, and a Prussian “chemical bright” blue, as Saville calls it, a colour that blends a feeling of richness with the edge of science.

VOICE SYMBOLISES OUR PERSONALITY

A unique, integrated voice art experience: To accompany the launch of the 2016 V.S.O.P Privilège Limited Edition’s series, Hennessy invites its fans and followers to use their voice to create a unique work of art. Inspired by the science of chromatography and the artistic renderings of Peter Saville, the Hennessy Voice Art platform captures each user’s unique personality in a voice recording, and then translates each vocal signature into a one-of-a-kind work of digital art. Once completed, users will be able to submit their entry on social networks, vote for favourites, and view V.S.O.P-based mixed drink recipes that best correspond to the tone, tempo and qualities of individual Voice Art submissions.

The 750ml bottle retails at R649.95 and is available at all major liquor outlets. For more information about the Hennessy V.S Limited Edition bottle by Peter Saville, visit www.hennessy.com.